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Typing Speed Test (English & Arabic)
How fast do you type? Check your words per minute and accuracy in 1 or 2 minutes.
Shift handover
Esc restarts · pasting is disabled · on a phone, expect lower scores than on a keyboard
Send this test to a candidate
The link opens the same test with your settings (1-minute, English). Ask the candidate to send you a screenshot of the result card — or, better, run it while you watch on a video call.
How the typing test works
Choose 1 or 2 minutes and English or Arabic, then start typing the passage. The timer starts with your first key. Words you finish turn green when they're right and red when they contain a mistake, and the current word is highlighted. When time runs out — or you finish the text — your speed is calculated from the characters you typed correctly, using the standard of five characters per word, together with raw speed, accuracy and the number of errors. The passages are original texts about everyday work: shift handovers, customer replies, meeting notes and a first day at a new job.
- WPM
- Words per minute — correct characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes.
- Raw WPM
- All typed characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes, mistakes included.
- Accuracy
- Correct characters as a share of everything you typed.
- Error
- A typed character that doesn't match the passage at that position.
Speed vs accuracy: four 1-minute results
Scored with the same function the test uses. Mistakes cost you twice: they don't count towards WPM and they lower accuracy.
| Typist | Typed in 60 seconds | Raw speed | Accuracy | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Careful typist | 200 characters, 2 wrong | 40 WPM | 99% | 40 WPM · Fluent |
| Steady office typist | 225 characters, 5 wrong | 45 WPM | 97.8% | 44 WPM · Fluent |
| Fast but sloppy | 320 characters, 40 wrong | 64 WPM | 87.5% | 56 WPM · Fluent |
| Fast and accurate | 350 characters, 4 wrong | 70 WPM | 98.9% | 69 WPM · Fast |
Labels describe speed only; they are not averages for any population.
What a typing test can't tell you
- A short test measures copying speed, not how well someone writes, thinks or handles customers.
- Results vary by keyboard, layout and device; compare candidates on the same set-up.
- Unsupervised results can't be verified — re-test finalists in person or on a video call.
- Offer adjustments to candidates who need them, and test only when typing is part of the job.
Using a typing test in hiring
Typing tests make sense for roles where typing is a large part of the day: data entry, admin and secretarial roles, customer-service chat and email teams, transcription, and call-centre agents who log every call. For most other roles, a work sample tells you far more.
Decide the bar before you test anyone, from the actual work rather than a number you've seen elsewhere, and give accuracy real weight — fixing errors costs more time than slightly slower typing. Use the same length and language for everyone applying for the same role. In the Gulf, many customer-facing roles need both languages, so test Arabic and English separately when the job uses both.
Send the link from the box under the test, ask candidates for a screenshot, and re-test your shortlist during the interview. Pair it with the English test for employees and choose other assessments with the skills assessment picker. Hiring for an admin or data-entry role now? Post the job free.
Improving your typing speed
Accuracy first, speed second: slow down until you make almost no mistakes, then speed up gradually. Keep your fingers on the home row (ASDF JKL; on an English keyboard), look at the screen rather than the keys, and practise for ten minutes a day rather than an hour once a week.
If you are applying for jobs that mention typing speed, take the test a few times and quote your typical result, not your best one — many employers re-test at interview. Add the result to your CV's skills section with the language, for example "Typing: 45 WPM English, 30 WPM Arabic", and build the rest of your CV in the Gulf CV builder.
Frequently asked questions
How is typing speed (WPM) calculated?
We use the usual convention: one 'word' is five characters, including spaces. Your speed is the number of correctly typed characters divided by five, divided by the minutes of the test. Raw speed counts every character you typed, right or wrong, and accuracy is the share of typed characters that were correct.
What is a good typing speed for an office job?
It depends on the job. Data entry, transcription and customer-service chat roles lean on speed and accuracy; most other office roles need steady, accurate typing more than raw speed. If you are hiring, set the bar from the real work — for example, how many records or messages a person handles an hour — and weigh accuracy as much as speed.
Can I take the test in Arabic?
Yes. Choose العربية to type original Arabic workplace passages. The text box switches to right-to-left. Use an Arabic keyboard layout on your computer, or the Arabic keyboard on your phone, and turn off auto-correct if your phone changes words as you type.
Should I use a phone or a computer?
A computer keyboard, if the job is done on a computer. Phone typing is usually slower and auto-correct can change words, so phone results aren't comparable with keyboard results. The test works on phones for practice.
How do employers use this test?
Copy the test link (it keeps your length and language), send it to candidates, and ask for a screenshot of the result card. Because an unsupervised online test can't be verified, the fairest way is to run it during a video call or at the interview, and to give every candidate the same length and language.
Is my result saved or sent anywhere?
No. The test runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored or sent to us; when you close the page, the result is gone unless you copy it.
Why is pasting disabled?
So the result reflects typing. Pasting the passage would give a meaningless score — and an employer reviewing a screenshot needs to trust it.
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